TLDEF Memorial Day Op-Ed Spotlights Discrimination Against Transgender People in U.S. Armed Forces

To commemorate Memorial Day, TLDEF Executive Director Michael Silverman published a moving op-ed in The Advocate, paying tribute to the transgender men and women who died serving our country in silence.

This gist of his commentary: Allowing open military service by transgender people is long overdue. While the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy lifted the ban on military service by gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, transgender service members are still barred from serving because of medical regulations that are biased and out of date.

Silverman touched on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s recent comments on a Sunday morning political program indicating that the regulations “continually should be reviewed,” while urging him to turn that rhetoric into action. He also bought up numerous other examples that illustrated why this discrimination must end.